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Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Road to Publication by Caridad Pineiro

First of all, thanks to Mila for allowing me to visit! Mila has asked me to offer some thoughts on what it's like to be published and share my journey with you.

So here goes . . .

I'm Caridad Pineiro and I write paranormal and romantic suspense novels. I've published 26 novels/novellas over the last eleven years with a variety of publishers. Kensington, St. Martin's, Pocket Books, Harlequin, Carina Press and Grand Central Publishing. Whew, a mouthful, right?

The first thing many people wonder is how I got started as a writer.

In the fifth grade my English teacher assigned a project to write a book for a class lending library. It was Pass/Fail so the only pressure was to have twenty typed pages.

I went home and started writing. Months later my poor mom typed one hundred and twenty pages. Yes, you saw that right. 120 pages.

From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I'd always had stories going on in my head and I had been an avid reader from way back, but that project showed me that I could take my love of reading and those stories and do something with them.

I kept on writing through high school, college and law school. I never stopped writing or reading although sometimes it was hard to find the time to write because of school. After I graduated, it was hard because of my work as an attorney.

After the birth of my daughter, however, I had a revelation. My mother had been a wonderful role model and as I asked myself what I would offer my daughter, I realized that I had not done the one thing that had been a lifelong dream. I had not been able to have a book published.

Despite the fact that I had a full time job and a new child, I had no doubt that I had to somehow find the time to reach for my dream. It helped that I had a supportive husband. He understood how important it was to me.

In the years that followed I wrote. I attended workshops to improve my work. I networked. I went to conferences. I did that while working full time and spending time with my family because I had found a way to balance all three.

How did I do that? I would write on the train to and from work and then in the very early hours on the weekend before the family got up.

Some might think that balancing act is hard, but then I did something even harder. I dared to send my work out to an editor.

Surprise. They didn't eat me alive. In fact, they thought I had potential and offered suggestions on how to improve my work. They even said they would want to see something else.

That is what's called a "good rejection."

I kept on working and writing and five years after my daughter was born, I managed to sell my first book.

It's an amazing feeling to get "The Call." It was even better because my husband and daughter happened to be with me when it happened. After all, their support had helped to make it possible.

What has it been like in the over ten years since "The Call?"

Hard. Inspiring. Fun. Frustrating. Publishing is not an industry for the faint of heart. Even with 26 published works, there is still rejection and pressure to perform well. But the bottom line is that I love to write, so I can't imagine not doing it.

What words of wisdom do I have to offer in conclusion?

1. Nothing worthwhile is every easy. My mother always drilled that into me.

2. You have to want to do it because you love it. If you're doing it just for the money, you will be severely disappointed.

3. Don't take rejection personally. It's a business and not every editor, reader or reviewer will like what you do.

4. Don't be afraid to explore new opportunities, but always remember this: Money should flow to the writer. Be wary of people who want to charge you for publishing your work.

5. Never give up! As hard as it may seem, you can do it!

Thanks for dropping by! For more information on me, you can visit www.caridad.com.

Six months ago, Cynthia Guerrero's lover and fellow archaeologist Rafael Santiago trekked into the Mexican jungle in search of one of the fabled Cities of Gold—and never emerged. Guilty over their parting, Cynthia won't rest until she knows what happened. When the discovery of a conquistador's journal corroborates Rafe's intended path, Cynthia is determined to finally leave the safety of the museum to rescue him, despite the conquistador's dire warnings, and her own traumatic past.

Arriving at a remote village deep in the jungle, Cynthia is both elated and angered to find Rafe alive. But he is far from well, having watched his team be decimated by a bloodthirsty demon-goddess. When Rafe reveals he has been gifted with supernatural powers—powers he plans to use to kill the beast and save his brother, still held captive in the temple—Cynthia must face her own inner demons to fight alongside the man she loves.